Vocabulary List #1

1. Vocabulary List#1 7th Grade Language Arts

2. alternative • There are many alternatives to eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches every day for lunch, but Donnie doesn’t want to know about them. • Magda had trouble deciding which career alternative was best for her – being a brain surgeon or being a mime. • a choice or possibility

3. utopia • After sound-proofing the walls so he could escape his older brother’s daily tuba practice, John considered his room a utopia. • Mel has his own idea of utopia: an unlimited supply of teriyaki-flavored beef jerky. • a perfect place or ideal situation

4. ashen • After he was attacked by angry flamingos on his safari, Leon’s face was ashen. • Wanda looked ashen after the ice cream truck nearly ran over Snuggles, her pet python. • the gray color of ashes; often used to describe the complexion of someone who has experienced something upsetting or traumatic.

5. affable • Lester found the secretary much more affable than Mr. Sower, the president. • Rich was always affable during television interviews, even when talking to Ty Mondragon, the meanest wrestling champion in the state. • friendly and easy to speak to

6. barter • “The secret to a good relationship with your younger brother is learning to barter candy for silence,” Rocky told his girlfriend. • The pastry chef next door often barters with Mabel for the use of her riding lawn-mower, so her kitchen is always stocked with gourmet cheesecakes and other fine desserts. • to trade one thing for another without using money

7. exposé • The exposé contained shocking details about golf pro “Squeaky Clean” Jones. • The new reporter had written an exposé about Mr. Earl, the fur coat salesman. • revealed information that may damage someone’s reputation.

8. irreverent • Some kids may seem irreverent when they yell in public, but often they just don’t know any better. • Charlie Chase, the top disc jockey in the city, is often irreverent about topics that his guests take very seriously. • disrespectful

9. gala • The gala honoring Miss Howard for her donation to the art gallery was held on the large lawn behind the museum. • Betsy was invited to a gala marking the new opera’s opening night, but she raised eyebrows by wearing an awful green polyester dress from the 1970s. • a fancy celebration

10. ostracize • Kevin wanted to take up tap dancing, but he was afraid of being ostracized by his football buddies. • Marie knew what it felt like to be ostracized, so she made a point to talk to the new girl in school when nobody else would. • to shut out or banish

11. scapegoat • Instead of realistically dealing with the issues at hand, the city council members liked to make the mayor the scapegoat for the city’s problems. • Colin, the goalie, became the scapegoat when the soccer team lost the game. • a person who is forced to take the blame for the mistakes or crimes of others

12. *parody • Animal House is film parody of life in a college fraternity house. • As soon as Mr. Johnson left the room, Billy had the other students laughing with his skillful parody of the teacher’s mannerisms. • a funny or exaggerated imitation of something

13. *behemoth • “That Great Dane looked like a behemoth next to my Chihuahua,” Miss Gordon observed. • The largest animal on earth, the blue whale, is definitely a behemoth. • something enormous in size